How to Apply for the Nunavut Child Care Subsidy
Nunavut's Daycare Subsidy helps low-income families pay for child care while they work or study, and you apply for it through your community Income Assistance Worker.
How to Apply for the Northwest Territories Child Care Subsidy
There is no separate Northwest Territories child care subsidy application: the Child Care Fee Reduction subsidy lowers fees automatically for children aged five and under in licensed programs, and extra help runs through Income Assistance.
Applies in: Northwest Territories
The short answer
There is no separate Northwest Territories Child Care Subsidy application, because the territory does not run a standalone child care subsidy program. The help most families receive is the Child Care Fee Reduction subsidy, run by the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. It pays licensed programs so they can charge families less. If your child is five years of age or younger and enrolled in a licensed early learning and child care program, you do not need to apply to receive a reduction in your fees — the lower fee is built into what the program charges.
That is the whole application for most families: pick a licensed program that is enrolled in the fee reduction, enrol your child, and pay the reduced fee. The only families who fill in a form are those who need more help than the fee reduction gives. That extra help runs through the Income Assistance Program, not through a child care subsidy form.
What the fee reduction covers
The Child Care Fee Reduction subsidy provides funding to licensed family day homes to reduce the child care fees they charge to families and make child care more affordable in the Northwest Territories. Licensed centre-based programs now receive the same subsidy as part of the new Dedicated and Flexible funding, rather than as a separate funding stream. The change was made to cut paperwork for centres while keeping fees down for families.
How much your fee drops depends on the fee the program currently charges and the age of your child. The territorial page does not publish a fixed dollar amount per child, so this guide gives none. What the territory does report is the average: the Department of Education, Culture and Employment calculated an average parent fee of $10.47 a day in the 2025–26 fiscal year ($10.30 a day in 2024–25). That is an average across licensed programs, so some families pay less and others more. There is no deadline for the funding.
Licensed family day homes also receive funding to administer the subsidy, calculated monthly from the number of children registered per month:
| Number of registered children per month | Administration funding per month | Maximum administration funding per year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 10 | $150/month | $1,800/year |
| 11 to 30 | $450/month | $5,400/year |
| 31 to 50 | $750/month | $9,000/year |
| 51 to 80 | $1,200/month | $14,400/year |
| 81 or more | $1,500/month | $18,000/year |
Step 1: Choose a licensed program
The fee reduction only applies in licensed early learning and child care programs. That includes licensed centre-based programs and licensed family day homes. Unlicensed care is not part of this funding.
The Department of Education, Culture and Employment publishes a directory of licensed early learning and child care programs that shows each program's location, whether it is open, and whether it is enrolled in the Child Care Fee Reduction subsidy. Some programs in the directory are listed as free for families. Check the listing for the program you are considering, and ask the program directly if its listing is unclear.
Step 2: Enrol your child — no subsidy form
Once your child is enrolled in a licensed program that is part of the fee reduction, there is nothing else to file. Families with children five years of age or younger who are enrolled in a licensed program do not need to apply to receive a reduction in their fees. Licensed family day homes do not need to apply either — their funding amounts are calculated from annual reporting or during licensing.
If your child is over five, or your program is not licensed, the fee reduction does not apply to you. That does not mean no help exists: see the Income Assistance route below.
Step 3: If the reduced fee is still too much, apply for Income Assistance
The Income Assistance Program offers financial support to help with child care expenses for children enrolled in a licensed early learning and child care facility. There is no standalone child care subsidy program in the territory, so this is the route for families who need help beyond the fee reduction.
To ask about it, apply for income security through your local Education, Culture and Employment centre. The application is in person. During the application process you can say you need child care support. Parents must be attending school or work outside the home to receive a fee subsidy through this route, and the subsidy can be used in licensed and unlicensed child care. The amount is worked out with the program based on your situation. Our How to Apply for Income Assistance in the Northwest Territories guide walks through that application.
What the opened pages do not state
The territorial pages opened for this guide do not publish a fixed dollar amount for the fee reduction per child, because the reduction is set against each program's own fees — so this guide states no per-child amount. The average parent fee given above comes from the Auditor General's 2026 report on early learning and child care in the territory, not from the fee-reduction page. They also do not publish the Income Assistance child care allowance rates or a step-by-step list for the child care part of an Income Assistance application, so this guide gives no rates and no step list for that route; the amount is worked out with the program when you apply. The pages also do not state a fee reduction for children over five in licensed programs, so this guide claims none. This guide gives no advice on whether you qualify for Income Assistance — that is the program's decision when it assesses your application.
Related guides:
- How to Apply for Income Assistance in the Northwest Territories — the in-person income security application that is also the route to extra child care help beyond the fee reduction.
- How to Apply for the Northwest Territories Child Benefit — the territorial child benefit, assessed from the Canada Child Benefit application with no separate form.
- How to Apply for the Canada Child Benefit — the federal application that also registers you for territorial child benefits.
- How to Start a Daycare in Canada — what opening a licensed daycare involves, including licensing and funding.
Getting child care fee help in the Northwest Territories, in five steps
- Choose a licensed programThe fee reduction applies in licensed early learning and child care programs, including licensed family day homes.
- Check the program is enrolled in the fee reductionThe territorial directory of licensed programs shows which ones are enrolled in the Child Care Fee Reduction subsidy.
- No application for the fee reductionFamilies with children five years of age or younger in a licensed program do not need to apply to receive a reduction in their fees.
- Pay the reduced feeThe program charges the reduced fee directly, so the reduction shows up in what you pay rather than as a payment to you.
- Ask about Income Assistance if the fee is still too muchFamilies who need more help can apply for Income Assistance at a local Education, Culture and Employment centre and ask about child care support.
Questions people ask
Is there an application form for the Northwest Territories Child Care Subsidy?
No — the territory has no standalone child care subsidy with its own form. What most families get is the Child Care Fee Reduction subsidy, which lowers what a licensed program charges; if your child is five or younger and enrolled in a licensed early learning and child care program, the lower fee applies without an application.
What is the current program called?
The current program is the Child Care Fee Reduction subsidy, run by ECE — Education, Culture and Employment. It funds licensed programs so they charge families less: centres get it inside Dedicated and Flexible funding, while licensed family day homes get it as a separate stream.
Which children get the fee reduction?
Children five years of age or younger who are enrolled in a licensed early learning and child care program qualify. The size of the reduction depends on the fee the program charges and the age of the child — and since the territorial page publishes no fixed dollar amount per child, this guide gives none.
How do I know if my child's program is in the fee reduction?
A directory of licensed early learning and child care programs, published by the territorial government, shows whether each program is enrolled in the Child Care Fee Reduction subsidy. Some programs are listed as free for families. If a listing is unclear, ask the program directly.
What if the reduced fee is still more than I can pay?
Income Assistance can help with child care expenses for children in a licensed early learning and child care facility — apply for income security at your local ECE centre and say during the in-person application that you need child care support. The amount is worked out with the program from your situation; no published rate exists, so this guide gives none.
Do licensed family day homes have to apply for the fee reduction?
No. Licensed family day homes don't apply — their funding is worked out from annual reporting or at licensing, plus a monthly administration amount tied to how many children are registered: $150 a month for 1 to 10 children, rising to $1,500 a month for 81 or more.
Sources
- Government of the Northwest Territories, Child Care Fee Reduction — the current program name, the no-application rule for families and for licensed family day homes, the five-and-under age rule, the administration funding table, and the Dedicated and Flexible funding change for centres.
- Government of the Northwest Territories, Licensed early learning and child care programs directory — the directory showing which licensed programs are enrolled in the Child Care Fee Reduction subsidy and which are free for families.
- Office of the Auditor General of Canada, Early Learning and Child Care in the Northwest Territories (2026) — the average parent fee was $10.30 a day in 2024–25 and $10.47 a day in 2025–26, by the department's calculation.
- Childcare Resource and Research Unit, ECEC in Canada 2024/2025 — Northwest Territories — the territory has no standalone child care subsidy program, the Income Assistance Program offers financial support for child care expenses for children in a licensed facility, and the Income Assistance route runs through an in-person income security application at a local Education, Culture and Employment centre.